Besan Ki Roti

Besan Roti is very flavorful and healthy flat bread, high in protein and gluten free. Besan roti can be served with dal and leafy green vegetables like spinach or with yogurt.

This recipe will make 6.

Ingredients:

2 cups besan gram flour (available in Indian grocery stores)

2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons yogurt (dahi)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

1-1/2 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori mathi)

Pinch of asafetida (hing)

Approx. ¼ cup of water use as needed

¼ cup rice flour for rolling the roti

Approx. 2 tablespoons butter or ghee (clarified butter)

Method

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl mix it well. Add oil and yogurt to the mixture and mix. This will become very crumbly. Oil the palm to make the dough as it will be very sticky. Add water as needed to make the firm dough.

Keep the dough aside and cover with damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes or more.

Divide the dough in 6 equal parts. Make them in smooth balls.

Take one ball press it in rice flour from both sides and roll into about 6-inch circle. If the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly dust the roti with rice flour.

Heat the skillet over medium high heat. Note: Heavy skillet works best.

Place the rolled roti on skillet. In few seconds roti will start changing color, turn roti over, both sides of roti will have few light brown spots.

Next place the roti on open burner using tong. The top part of roti should be down. Note: if you have gas stove you can put roti directly over high flames but if you have electric stove use cake cooling rack or similar over the burner so roti does not touch burner coil directly.

Grill the roti from both sides using tong until roti has golden brown spots both sides. Bottom part of roti should be up for serving brush the roti with ghee or butter.

Keep Besan Roti’s in a covered container or wrap them in aluminum foil. (Besan Roti becomes dry when they come to room temperature)

Dear Manjula, I am interested in this recipe but unfortunately due to work I can rarely eat freshly cooked food, so I am interested in knowing if these reheat well in an oven or microwave (if someone has already tried please answer).

Your website has been a great help to me. I refer to your website very frequently to get ideas. We are on a gluten free and dairy free diet. Would this recipe come out OK if I skip yogurt. Any substitutions you can recommend to get the same result. .hanks

Thank you SO MUCH for your website. The only way my husband and I get Indian food is at a restaurant. I am going to make this Friday as a treat! As I am unable to eat wheat I really appreciate recipes like this one.

I have the same issue. My son is dairy and wheat allergic. Have you tried using soy yogurt? I haven’t but thought it may work. Also adding grated bottle-gourd/dudhi/lauki/zucchini may work to soften the dough.

from where can I get the skillet the kind you have used in this video. I bought one from Apna bazar, but it is very thin. Also when I make chapatis of whole wheat flour they get dry and hard. I pack lunch for my husband and make chapatis at 8 am By 12 noon they are like papads. Where do I go wrong. I use golden temple whole wheat flour. Pls pls suggest.

Aunty-ji I love your website. When I am looking for north indian recipes I always say “let me see what Manjula aunty says about it.” Thank you for this recipe! I want to pin the recipe on pinterest but the site is telling me there is nothing pinnable. I just wanted you to know because social networking is very good to increase hits. Thank you!

I love these, but I’ve never used this method. Why do you cook them over the direct heat, instead of just leaving them in the pan? I have an electric stove, so what heat level should I use when cooking the partially cooked roti over the wrack?

Looks very nice and yummy. Love your recipes aunty! thank u so much for bringing out such nice recipes for us when we are away from home and cannot depend much on family back in India due to timing constraint. I owe you a lot 🙂